Before It's Too Late
by PFTones3482
Summary: I've become morbid...When Austin is the victim of a hit and run, he only has one chance to say goodbye to his family and friends, even if they can't hear or see him. But his death could cause a whole lot of problems, ones that Austin won't be able to fix by himself. Rated T for death and language.
1. Darkness and Death

**CHAPTER 1- Look who isn't dead! ME. Guess who got nominated for Homecoming queen at school? ME. Guess who's beating her head on a wall? That's right. It's ME.**

**I don't know WHERE this came from. But it just popped in my head. All this happens before Jimmy Starr came into the picture. So yeah.**

**Oh, and if any of you have read my Platypus Trouble's or Revenge on the Platypus stories, you'll recognize my main OC Olivia. I decided to bring her back for this story. **

**Yeah…I don't own Austin and Ally. **

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Austin yawned and stretched his arms high above his head, doing his best to keep from toppling off of the piano bench he was perched on.

The teenager glanced over sleepily at his music partner Ally, who had dozed off in a chair, her book in her hands and the pen in her fingers slipping to the floor even as Austin watched.

He just looked at her for a moment, a small smile on his face as he watched the girl sleep. She was just so gorgeous…

Austin quickly shook his head and stood up, checking the clock at his right and doing a double take.

"Yeesh," he muttered, seeing that the time was almost one am. He hadn't expected to be out that late…then again, he had dozed off with his forehead on the piano. Hence the piano key shaped marks on his forehead.

Austin pulled a throw blanket from a shelf and tenderly covered Ally with it. He gently started tugging the book from her hands, only to have her scare him half to death by muttering, "Don't touch my book."

He chuckled, left the book where it was, and jotted a quick note down to Ally that he had left, so that she wouldn't worry when she woke up and he wasn't in the room.

Austin tripped going down the stairs, almost falling on his face before he caught himself on the railing, groaning from the sudden weight thrown on his shoulder.

He slipped out of Sonic Boom, glancing over at the bike rack and cursing under his breath.

Great. Now he had to report a theft.

Austin shook his head and buried his hands under his arms, trying to warm them in the cool night air. He considered calling his parents to come get him, but one glance at his phone's dead battery destroyed that plan.

The young musician walked down the darkened streets quietly, only hearing or seeing the occasional car and person.

Austin turned carefully off the busier streets, breathing a sigh of quiet relief when his feet entered the suburbs. There was much less traffic here at this time of night, and considering that he was wearing a dark t-shirt and jeans, he felt a lot safer on these streets than the busy ones.

The boy tucked his hands into his back pockets and stared at the ground as he walked, contemplating the song that Ally had written.

It was a good song, but it was more suited for her tastes, considering that it was all about how she worried about the future.

Austin smiled thinly at the thought. He was worried about the future, too, of course. Who wasn't? But he wasn't quite as stuck on it as Ally, and even Dez and Trish seemed to be stuck on the future more than he.

The singer ran a hand through his hair, turning the corner and walking down the street silently. He glanced at a street sign briefly, noting that he was only a couple of blocks from his house.

Every light in every house was off, creating a dark and eerie feeling that reminded Austin of Halloween. Leaves slithered across the pavement at his feet, and something, probably a raccoon, rustled in the bushes nearby.

The wind blew a chilling breeze, and Austin shivered, wishing he had a jacket on this cold Saturday night…Sunday morning? He didn't know how to refer to it.

Austin sighed and turned yet another corner, hugging his arms and stepping off the curb without looking up.

A split second later, light blinded him and Austin's head whipped up.

He uttered one word as pain struck him full in the chest and he blacked out before he even hit the pavement. "Shit."

* * *

Austin groaned and sat up slowly, rubbing his head as gently as he could. "Yeesh. What hit me?" the boy muttered, glancing around and blinking in the early morning sunlight.

"Oh yeah," he whispered, rubbing his eyes. "A freaking car."

Austin pulled his head up, expecting to see himself all bloody and gross, but to his utter surprise, his body looked absolutely fine.

"Hey, are you ok?" came a soft, female voice.

Austin spun around to find a girl around his age standing in front of him.

Her hair was a dark blonde that was almost like a light brown. The slightly wavy hair filtered over her shoulders only by a few inches. She had on an immaculate white dress that had a pale pink belt buckled around it. She also had pale pink flats on her feet, a silver bracelet around her wrist, and silver angel earrings dangling from her earlobes.

As Austin stood up, he caught sight of her bright hazel eyes, and a silver cross necklace around her throat. A simple silver ring circled her head.

"I…yeah, I think so," he responded, realizing that he had been staring at her.

The boy finally got his feet under him, and he dusted off his white jeans carefully, his brain confused and uncertain.

"Who are you?" he asked the girl.

The teen slid over to him and cocked her head slightly, taking his elbow gently in her cold fingers. "My name's Olivia," she said, gently helping him sit down on the curb.

"I'm-"

Olivia cut him off. "I know who you are, silly. You're Austin Moon."

Austin nodded. Sometimes he forgot that he was an internet sensation. "Yeah. I…did you see who hit me?"

Olivia winced a little and sat down next to him. "Some drunk jerk in a blue pickup truck."

Austin jumped to his feet, feeling a little lightheaded as his memories of what had happened slowly came back. "Well, we have to go report this to someone! I could have been killed!"

Olivia flinched slightly, and as she tried to figure out how to respond, Austin glanced around slowly.

It was light out. Hadn't it been one am when he got hit?

Austin looked down at himself and had to take another look. He was wearing white jeans, a pale blue t-shirt, and cream jacket. His sneakers were pale blue with white trim. That definitely had not been what he was wearing when he had gotten hit.

He reached a hand up to rub his throat, and his fingers grasped a chain. Austin blinked and pulled the necklace out to study it.

He paled a little when he saw the Methodist cross around his neck, with the flame surrounding the cross. He had left that at home. So how…?

"Olivia?" he said softly.

The girl looked up, her eyes pained. "Yes, Austin?"

Austin gulped and caught his lip between his teeth. "What's going on?"

He didn't listen to her answer, instead looking around the area more carefully. A large group of people, an ambulance, and several police cars were situated at the end of the block.

Austin felt bile rise in his throat as he raced over to the group. Olivia quickly called out his name, but he ignored her completely, sliding through a gap in the people to the front of the crowd.

His heart rose to his throat, and it was at that point that Austin realized he hadn't heard his heart beating ever since he woke up.

He stumbled back out through-literally through-the people, practically falling onto his knees. He pressed his palms hard onto the cement under him, trying hard to control his breathing-and he wasn't even breathing!

Olivia knelt next to him and rubbed a hand gently over his back. "Austin."

Austin shuddered hard, suddenly hearing the yelling of "CLEAR!" and what sounded like a huge bug zapper from the gathering of people.

His throat clogged with tears as he pressed the palms of his hands to his eyes, trying to block out the sounds of the people nearby. "No. Olivia this is not happening. God, no. No, no, no."

"Austin," said Olivia softly, tears in her voice. "Please, you need to listen to me."

The boy wrapped his arms tightly around his body, suddenly feeling how very cold he was.

"Austin, I'm so sorry," whispered Olivia. "But you're…you're dead."

* * *

**Sorry to have disappeared off the face of the earth, and then come back with a story like this. But I really enjoy this plot. (:**

**Don't expect constant updates; I'll try to post at least once a week, but my schedule is super loaded these days. **

**Review please!**


	2. Parents and Friends

**CHAPTER 2- So, yay! Update!**

**I've been so busy lately. I made Homecoming court, I have three projects due this week, I'll be on the radio on Thursday, which is also my friend's birthday, and my brothers birthday is on Sunday. Plus I'm taking SATs on Saturday. Sigh. Life.**

**SmileyAuslly: Well thank you ;) I'm glad that you like it so far**

**Koryandrs: Yeah, that's kinda what I was implying (:**

**MissFlutterPie: Yay! I'm glad to see you here!**

**I don't own Austin and Ally. If I did, Ally probably would have taken longer to get over her stage fright. **

* * *

"_Austin, I'm so sorry," whispered Olivia. "But you're…you're dead."_

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

Shock surrounded the boy, blocking out every sound possible. The only thing he could hear was silence.

And that was wrong. He needed to hear his heartbeat…his heartbeat-beating like that. Great, now not only was he dead, he was going insane!

Austin shuddered again and looked up, a sick feeling in his stomach as he studied Olivia. "You're serious, aren't you?" he whispered to her.

Olivia bit her lip. "I'd like to say I'm not, Austin, but I am. You saw…"

"My body," the boy muttered harshly. "I saw my body."

Olivia winced. "Yeah. I'm sorry, Austin."

"If I'm dead…does that mean you're dead, too?" Austin asked slowly, looking over at her. Olivia grimaced, proving that the topic was a sore subject, but she nodded.

Austin took a deep (metaphorical) breath and stood up on shaking legs. "I…I need to do something," he said finally, his open hands grasping at the air.

"All right," Olivia said soothingly, "but first we should get out of here."

Austin cocked his head, glancing back anxiously at where his body lay. "Why?"

The girl shook her blonde head of hair quickly. "Austin, we just need to go. Like, right now. We can't stay here or else-"

A scream filled the area and Austin spun around on his heel, almost falling over as he saw his parents standing at the edge of the crowd.

His mother had been the one who screamed, and now her face was buried in his father's chest. Austin had never seen his dad so pale. His large hand rubbed Austin's mother's back gently, but his other hand was clenched into a tight fist.

A female police officer quickly led the parents away from the scene, sitting them down on a couple of lawn chairs an elderly woman had provided from her house.

Austin, against Olivia's wishes, walked quickly over to his parents.

His father spoke up just as Austin reached them. "Ma'am, who the hell did this to my son?" he whispered vehemently to the cop.

Austin stood still, shocked to his core. He had never heard his father swear. Ever.

The female officer, whose nametag read Hope, shook her head. "I'm sorry for you loss, Mr. Moon. We don't have all the details yet, but this was definitely a hit and run. Officers are getting tire marks from the pavement now," she said, indicating a spot where Austin could see black marks that had been left on the pavement.

"We do know already that your son died immediately, so he was in no pain," the woman said gently. "He was found early this morning, about ten minutes ago by a young man who was going to the early service at his church. Unfortunately, it seems the hit and run occurred later in the night, and not at six am, which is what time your son was found."

The first thought that went through Austin's head was his fascination with the idea that the guy who had found him got up at six in the morning to go to church. The second was that he had just been lying, dead in the streets, for over five hours, and no one had found him.

He sighed, and then looked over at his parents again. His mother had finally looked up, revealing her tired and teary eyes. "Did…did he make any calls or anything before he was hit?" the woman asked softly.

Hope shook her head of dark hair. "Afraid his cellphone battery was dead."

Everyone winced at the word choice used by the cop and she shook her head. "I'm sorry, that was a poor choice of words."

Austin's father shook his head. "Just find the bastard who killed him."

Austin flinched at his father's language, and then bit his lip when his mother spoke again.

"Honey…we need to call Dez, Ally, and Trish."

No. Oh dear Lord, no. Austin hadn't even thought about their reactions. His best friends…

The boy quickly gulped back the lump in his throat, pressed his fist to his mouth, and stepped back to where he had first met Olivia, turning his back on the scene of his death.

"Austin, are you ok?" Olivia asked gently, sounding so much like Ally it was ridiculous.

The boy shuddered and leaned heavily against a tree. "I just…I have a lot of questions," he said.

Olivia settled next to him. "That's what I'm here for," she said softly, resting a hand on his shoulder.

Austin sat down in the grass and sighed, staring at his glaringly white jeans. "I…I don't even know where to start," he finally confessed.

Olivia smiled gently. "Then how about I start? I died two years ago in July…actually, like a week from yesterday. Anyway, I lived here in Miami, and I was heading to a music competition with my boyfriend. I played trumpet, and he played…plays violin. He's still alive. He was a real jerk, though. I was planning on breaking up with him after the competition."

She took a deep breath and Austin could tell that this was hard for her.

"I didn't know it, but he was hung-over from the night before. And of course he was driving. He pulled out in front of another car that hit the passenger side dead on and…well, here I am," she said, trying for humor.

"I'm sorry," Austin said softly.

Olivia shook her head. "Okay…um, right. So, the question most people ask is 'Where do I go when I die?' That's kind of hard to explain. Everyone goes to the same place, but it's different based on your religion, or lack thereof. Like, I'm Catholic and you're Methodist, so you'll end up in pretty much the same place as me. But people who like, worship Greek gods or something, not that many do, end up in their minds version of Hades, or the Underworld. Make sense?"

Austin gave her a look and she held up her hands. "Hey, just checking. Anyway, after being dead for two years, a spirit, no matter what religion, can apply to be a guardian angel."

Austin glared at her and Olivia quickly shook her head. "Okay, bad choice of words. Sorry. We can't prevent you from dying. We just keep an eye on you so that when you do die, we can help you understand what's happening. You uh…you're my first case."

Austin winced. "I'm sorry. I haven't been very cooperative, have I?"

Olivia gave a small smile. "Always the gentlemen. Austin, you just died. You behaved ten times better than anyone else I've ever seen."

Austin cocked his head slightly. "So is that how you knew who I was? I thought it was just cause of my videos…"

Olivia smiled. "Yeah. We're given a file on the person. So I know who your family and friends are, as creepy as that may seem. They try to match up people based on their ages. I was seventeen when I died, and you're seventeen now."

Austin gulped, dreading his next question. "What about babies or toddlers? Little kids?"

Olivia grimaced. "That's a sucky job for those people. It's hard enough having to guide a teenager who knows what's happening. But a kid who doesn't know what's going on and just wants their mom? We usually get a super sweet person who used to be a babysitter or mom or dad. They can often times calm the kids down."

Austin nodded, glancing back over his shoulder. His mother was on the phone, tears streaming down her cheeks while Austin's father gently rubbed her shoulders.

"What about my parents?" he asked softly.

"Your parents will be ok. They'll never get over your death, but most parents get better after a while. Your friends can help them through this period of time."

As soon as Olivia said that, a bicycle slid into the area, kicking up dust on a relatively dustless road. Austin winced as Dez ripped off his helmet and chucked his bike and safety gear to the ground.

The boy sprinted over to Austin's parents, who merely pointed to where the team had been checking over Austin's body for evidence on who had hit him. His body was now covered with a sheet, and Dez collapsed to the ground, his face drawn and pale, tears already flowing down his cheeks.

Austin turned away quickly, backing into the shadows so he wouldn't have to watch his friend.

"Hey," said Olivia, "want to know some of the, uh, perks? I guess?"

"There's perks to being dead?" Austin said harshly.

Olivia bit her lip and looked away, and Austin winced. "I'm sorry, Olivia. It just seems hard to believe…"

"That being dead can have its up moments?" Olivia said softly. "I know. That was my reaction to that comment as well. I should have asked in a different way."

Austin shook his head, glancing back at the scene of his death just as a car squealed to a halt on the street that joined with the one Austin had been hit on.

Trish fell out of the passenger side, her father jumping out of the driver's seat. The curly black headed girl spotted the emergency personnel lifting Austin's body into the ambulance and she fell to her knees hard, making Austin wince.

The girl's face was flooded with tears immediately, her shoulders shaking. Dez, amazingly, got to her before her father could, and he sank down next to her, wrapping his arms tightly around the girl's shoulders.

Trish turned herself so that her head was buried in Dez's chest, and Austin felt tears come to his eyes. He turned away from his friends, and that had to be one of the hardest things he'd ever done.

"Come on," Olivia said gently. "Let's get out of here before Ally shows up."

Austin looked up, his eyes hurting. "Why?"

Olivia sighed and gently took his elbow. "Trust me, Austin. It'll hurt worse than anything else to see her reaction."

Austin gulped, but allowed himself to be drawn away.

Olivia walked him to the park a couple of blocks away and let him sit down on a bench for a minute. Austin stared blankly at the ground for a bit before looking up again.

"How come…if I'm dead, why can I touch things?" he asked softly.

Olivia smiled, relieved to be able to answer a logical question. "Anything inanimate you can touch. It just takes concentration. Since you haven't been dead for that long, your mind hasn't yet registered that you shouldn't be able to sit on that bench. When that does take effect, you could still sit on it, but it would take a lot more concentration."

Austin nodded. "Okay. What about living things?"

Olivia rubbed her neck. "That's a lot harder. Most times, you can just walk through anything living. You can walk through anything, actually, but it's easier to walk through living things. Like a tree. Right now, you could probably lean against a tree with no problem. But in an hour or two, it will be so much harder. But for some reason, the ground always stays under you, unless you want to go through it."

"Is there anything living that I can touch?" Austin asked curiously.

Olivia shrugged. "For some reason, all animals can see, smell, and touch ghosts. So if you had a pet or something, you'd be able to hug it or pet it or whatever. I think it's just because animals are so comforting to dead people."

Austin gave a weak smile, and then looked down at his hands, which were settled in his lap.

"So…those perks?" he asked.

Olivia smiled impishly and Austin had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, he'd be okay.

* * *

**I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Review please! Hopefully the next update won't take quite as long. **


	3. Visits and Cats

**CHAPTER 3- Hey everyone. So, I'm sorry for not updating but there is a reason for that:**

**I have been really stressed lately. It is incredibly hard for me to get anything done, and I have just lost all inspiration for just about anything Fanfiction related, except, strangely, the Secret Life of Candace series, which I wasn't planning on continuing but might. MIGHT. **

**I will still be updating this story, just not regularly. For more information on what's going on, go to my profile. **

**Guest: Well, I mean, that isn't really what I intended. This is just to help out with the story line, and so I don't make any non-religious people uncomfortable by mentioning heaven or something.**

**Koryandrs: She wasn't really intended for anything. She's one of my really good friends, and she gave me permission to use her in any story. She just happened to be put in another story first. But I'll try to make it less so. I just hate creating a new OC for everything, and think it's easier to re-use them in certain cases.**

**I don't own Austin and Ally. **

* * *

_Olivia smiled impishly and Austin had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, he'd be ok._

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

"So," said Olivia, leaning lightly on the bench, "I already told you that you can walk through things. I want you to give it a shot."

Austin's eyebrows shot up. "You want me to…huh?"

Olivia shrugged and let herself sink through the bench and onto the pavement. Austin's eyes widened. "I want you to try it."

Austin bit his lip and stood up from his seat, turning around and staring down at the hard wood. "You want me to, like, walk through that?" he asked slowly.

Olivia got up and nodded. "Yup."

Austin frowned in concentration and started moving towards the bench, stopping an inch or two before he hit it. "This is stupid. What if I hit it?"

Olivia gave a small chuckle. "You probably won't hit it unless you want to hit it, Austin."

The teen sighed, shut his eyes, and stepped directly through the bench. He peeked one eye open and looked down at his legs, which were engulfed in the bench.

Austin wasn't really sure how he was supposed to feel. Yeah, he was happy that he could walk through things; heck, he'd wanted to do that since he was a kid. He just hadn't wanted to die for it to happen.

Olivia realized this and she gently grabbed his wrist, pulling him from the bench. "Hey, I know this is hard. Believe me. I had to go through it too. But you'll get used to it eventually."

Austin sighed and pulled his hand away, rubbing his shoulder and staring at the ground. "Yeah. I know. But…I'm just worried about my family and friends."

Olivia smiled gently. "You know you can check up on them, right?"

Austin glanced up, brushing a strand of hair from his eyes. "I mean…I know, but it'll be so hard. Seeing them, I mean."

Olivia put a hand on his shoulder. "Austin, I should probably tell you this now, so you're not freaked out later. When a person dies, and then comes back to visit his or her family and friends, there's always at least one person who can see them."

Austin's head shot up and he stared at Olivia in disbelief. "You're kidding me."

She shook her head, a small smile on her face. "No. They can't touch you, but they can hear and see you. It's never the same person for everyone, like your mom or dad or something. It's just someone who was close to you. Or sometimes not."

Austin tilted his head. "What do you mean, sometimes not?"

She shrugged. "Every now and then, the person who can see them is someone that the person wasn't close to them, or even that they hated. But that's pretty rare."

The singer nodded slowly, contemplating this idea. "Okay. I…do you know who it will be?"

Olivia sighed. "I do, but I'm not allowed to tell you. You have to figure that out on your own. Sorry, Austin."

Austin chewed on his lip and then nodded. "Okay. Um…so, I just go and see them? Like, my family and my friends? Do I need to walk there, or…?"

Olivia smiled. "You're about to ask if you can fly, aren't you?"

Austin grinned sheepishly. "Kind of, yeah."

"It's okay. No, you can't fly. Kind of disappointing, really. But you can move a lot faster than you could before. It'll probably only take you a minute or so to get to your house."

"Well darn," Austin murmured. "That's a little depressing. But all right. I um…I guess I'll go see my parents then. Are you going to come with me?"

Olivia shook her head, her blonde hair swinging. "No. But if you need anything from me, all you have to do is call my name and I'll show up. I want to give you some privacy. This can be a difficult process for you to go through."

Austin smiled and stepped back on the pavement. "Thank you, Olivia."

Olivia shrugged. "Thank you Austin. You are the most cooperative newly dead I have ever seen, even including myself. I freaked out so much more than you did."

Austin crossed his arms and stepped out onto the sidewalk, leaving Olivia alone on the sidewalk. "Oh believe me; I'm freaking out a lot on the inside. I'm just…trying to make it easy on you."

"I appreciate that. Good luck, Austin."

* * *

Austin stood in front of his house for a long time, a trembling fist pressed to his mouth as he stared at the comforting façade. He couldn't do it. He just wasn't ready.

The boy turned away from his home and shut his eyes, squeezing his hands into fists tightly. "Okay. Get a grip, Austin. You can do this. Chances are they might be able to see you."

He paused, opening his eyes and staring at the sidewalk, noting all the sparkly pieces that glimmered at him in the mid-morning sunlight.

Would it really be a good thing, if his parents could see him? Or would it kill them on the inside, seeing and hearing him but not being able to hug him or kiss him, or never see him again? He wouldn't wish that on his parents; he wouldn't wish it on anyone.

But as much as Austin wanted to be able to walk away and not potentially have his parents collapse, he couldn't do it. He needed to see them one last time.

The singer shook out his hands, adjusted his blindingly white jacket, and, with minimal concentration, managed to step through the door. He smiled briefly at his accomplishment, but sobered up immediately when he heard the sound of crying coming from the living room.

Austin stepped into the room and winced.

His mother was pressed tightly against his father, clutching at his chest and sobbing into his shirt. Austin's father had his chin on top of her head, and he was murmuring soothing words. But Austin could see the tears streaming down his cheeks, the silent sobs that shook his body.

"Honey, he…he's in a better place now. The police said he died instantly."

"I don't care! He was just a teenager; he shouldn't have had to die like this! He had his whole life ahead of him, a successful music career that could have taken him so far," his mother bawled.

Austin gulped and moved silently over to his parents, noting immediately that neither of them could have seen him, or they would have said something by this point.

In one way, it was a relief that they couldn't see him. And yet, it was incredibly depressing too. As much as Austin didn't want his parents hurting because of his death, he also really wished he could have talked to either one of them. It was hard seeing them this way and not being able to do anything about it.

He hesitantly reached out and tried to place his hand on his mother's shoulder, but it of course went right through her. Austin yanked his hand away immediately, horrified at what had just happened.

He clutched his hand to his chest, his throat hurting and his eyes stinging. He couldn't stay anymore. He just couldn't.

"And his poor friends. God, I thought Ally was going to die on the spot," whispered his mother.

Austin flinched at the mention of his partner and crush, pressing a hand to his forehead and brushing his hair away.

"I'm pretty sure Trish dislocated her knee from falling on the pavement like that," his father murmured.

Austin winced again and shook his head, moving to the doorway. He had to get out of here. He couldn't hear this anymore; it was just too painful for him.

Austin walked back outside, standing in the sun for a moment before realizing that it wasn't warming him up, and that it never would again. He sighed in disappointment and slid down his steps, shoving his hands in his pockets and walking down the driveway.

He turned right, only because Trish lived closest to him and her house was a block or two to the right. Out of habit, he checked the road before crossing the street, mentally cursing himself for not having done exactly that the previous night. He couldn't only blame the drunk driver on this one.

He walked quietly, not moving quickly because he needed time to think, time to understand what was going on. That and he was preparing himself to see Trish.

He knew from a few previous visits that she had a cat, and that for some reason that cat hated everyone but himself and Trish. Olivia had said that he would be able to touch animals, and for that Austin was eternally grateful. He wasn't sure he would be able to go much longer without touching anything.

The boy sighed and looked up, realizing with surprise that he was already at Trish's house. He took a metaphorical breath and stepped through her front door, coming across her parents and brother in the living room.

"It's just so awful," her mother was saying. "I feel so bad for Austin's parents, and Trish is just destroyed."

Austin grimaced and moved up the stairs silently. Trish's cat greeted him at the landing with a soft meow and Austin smiled in relief, leaning down and stroking the cat lightly. It purred loudly and followed Austin down the hall towards Trish's room.

He paused outside the shut door, took a deep breath, and stepped through the door and over the threshold.

* * *

**So again, I'll update when I can. But no promises on weekly updates! I'll do my best! And tell me what you think I should name Trish's cat.**

**Again, check my profile for what's going on, and let me know if you have any questions.**

**Please continue to review, favorite, and follow! It means a lot to me right now **


	4. Freak Outs and Windows

**CHAPTER FOUR- Hey, I'm not dead! As far as I can tell. **

**Thank you guys all so much for sticking through with me while I go through all of this crap in my life. It means a lot that you're willing to wait for these chapters.**

**And I promise my next chapter of Catch of the Week will be up within the next two to three weeks. I've been so busy lately, it's not funny. **

**Guest: Thank you, and that's okay, I enjoy long reviews (:**

**MissFlutterPie: Your wish is my command :D**

**Koryandrs: Sorry, I know they're not my usual length. I haven't had time to write an awful lot.**

**Thanks guys so much for all the support! I don't own Austin and Ally. MissFlutterPie gets rights to the cat name!**

* * *

_He paused outside the shut door, took a deep breath, and stepped through the door and over the threshold. _

* * *

GENERAL POV

* * *

What hit Austin first was the darkness of the room. The blinds had been drawn and the lamps were all shut off, creating an eerie atmosphere.

The lump in the middle of the disheveled bed sounded a lot like Trish, but she was crying, which Austin had never seen her do. She was too strong, too….Trish for that.

He moved easily across the carpet, stopping a few inches from his friend. "Trish?" he whispered, bracing himself for a full on panic attack.

Nothing happened, and the teen singer sighed. Whether it was from disappointment or relief he wasn't sure. But it was probably a good thing that Trish wasn't able to see or hear him. He had never seen her so upset before.

Austin hesitated, and then stepped over to the doorway, pulling it open just a crack. The sudden creaking noise made Trish sit straight up, her eyes wide and her hair flying in six hundred different directions as she looked around.

"Who's there?" she whispered, pulling her comforter to her chin.

Austin grimaced and chewed on his lip, wishing he had a way to answer her that wouldn't totally scar her for life.

It came in the form of Trish's cat, Ozi, who snuck into the room and started twining around Austin's legs, purring so loudly that he sounded like a car motor.

The boy froze and glanced at the animal, and then raised his eyes slowly to look at Trish, who seemed to be staring directly at him.

"Oh my god," she whispered, her face going sheet white. "Ozi, what…?"

The cat meowed softly and Trish stood abruptly, pacing her room and talking to herself. "Okay, Trish. This isn't weird. Not at all. I mean, it's just a coincidence that besides me Ozi only liked Austin and now he's curling around ankles that aren't there."

She gulped heavily and looked back up, her fingers trembling. "Oh geez. Austin? I can't even believe I'm doing this, but…is that you?"

Austin opened his mouth to respond, but then remembered that Trish couldn't see or hear him. So against his better judgment, he picked up the cat.

Trish shrieked and clapped her hands over her mouth before the sound could get too loud. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod," she hissed, backing up against the wall rapidly, her eyes brimming with tears.

Austin winced and cradled the cat gently, stroking its ears. The animal purred contentedly, licking one of its paws.

Trish sank to the ground, tears spilling over her cheeks as her body shook from the force of her sobs. "Holy shit, it is you," she muttered. "I can't even…oh my god."

She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes and shuddered. Austin winced and shifted Ozi so that he was cradled in one arm. The boy stepped over to the curtain and pulled it open gently, allowing light to flood the room.

Trish looked up, her face deadly pale in the sudden brightness. "Is there…I mean can you talk to me at all?" she asked softly.

Austin frowned and looked around the room slowly, absentmindedly petting Ozi. His eyes landed on Trish's cluttered desk, which rarely saw any kind of actual work and was instead cluttered with makeup and dozens of nametags from different jobs she had been employed at.

Austin sauntered over to the desk, well aware that Trish was watching him; or at least, watching Ozi, who was seemingly floating in mid-air.

He stopped in front of the old oak desk and searched its messy contents for a pen and paper.

An arm reached around him and opened up one of the drawers, and Austin glanced over his shoulder to find Trish there, her lip quivering as she rummaged through the drawer. Her bitten, raggedy nails pulled out a pen and she set it on the desk before diving back into the drawer and pulling out a notebook.

Austin smiled thinly and set Ozi gently down on top of the desk. Trish hesitated and backed up a step. "Well great," she mumbled, trying for a chuckle, "now I can't tell where you are."

He rolled his eyes and pulled out the desk chair with a flourish before sitting down in it carefully, afraid that he would sink through the soft upholstery.

He didn't, so Austin turned his attention to the pen, picking it up gently in his fingers and turning it around in his hands. Trish watched all this with fascination, slowly getting over her freak out and even pulling another chair over to the desk.

She sat in it and turned so that she was facing Austin's general direction, her eyes glittering with tears, as much as she tried to look happy.

"I don't really…know what to do," she confessed. "What are you doing here?"

Austin flipped open the notebook and found a blank page pretty quickly. He paused for a moment and then started writing.

_I needed to come and say goodbye to all of you guys. I couldn't just leave._

Trish pressed a fist to her mouth and stared at the ceiling for a long time, struggling not to cry. Finally she managed to speak again without sobbing. "So…did you see Dez or Ally yet? Or your parents?" she asked softly.

_Not Ally or Dez. But I dropped in on my parents. I saw you and Dez at the scene of the hit and run._

The words came out wobbly and Austin realized that he was shaking as he wrote; Trish took a deep breath and gave him a careful smile. "Yeah. I uh…I scraped my knees up pretty badly," she said, lifting the hem of her jeans to show Austin the ace bandage that wrapped around her leg.

Austin winced. _Sorry about that. Are you okay?_

Trish shook her head violently, her dark curly hair flying in every imaginable direction. "No! You're dead, Austin! Oh my god, I'm not okay! I can't even…you were one of my best friends. How am I supposed to get over that?" Trish yelped, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Austin grimaced, rubbing his chin gently. _I'm so sorry Trish. I should have been paying attention to where I was going._

"The asshole that was driving that car should have too," Trish spit out vehemently.

The boy sighed and leaned back in the chair, nearly falling out of it before he remembered to concentrate. He paused and then started doodling in the corners of the notebook.

With every smiley face and bad guitar that showed up, Trish smiled a little more. Finally she took a deep breath and shook her head. "I'm going to miss you, you know that?"

Austin looked up at her and saw the sadness in her eyes. _I wish I could hug you, Trish. Is there anything you wanted to say to me before I left? I'm going to see Dez next, so I have a little time._

Trish hesitated, staring out the window. "I mean…maybe. I don't know."

Austin watched her carefully as she stood up and began pacing the room, wearing a line in her plush carpeting. He tapped the pencil loudly on the desk and when she looked up again, the boy continued writing.

_Come on Trish. You've been….distant lately. What's up? This is probably the last chance you have to tell me. _

Trish grimaced and sank onto her bed, chewing violently on her hair as she pondered her response.

"I just…I don't even know. I was going to talk to you today, even before…before the accident," she whispered, brushing tears from her eyes.

_About…?_

Trish gulped. "Dez. Okay? I was going to talk to you about Dez."

Austin just stared at his curly headed friend in confusion. He couldn't even fathom why Trish would want to talk to him about-oh.

_Oh. Do you…like him?_

Trish stood up again and stalked over to her bedroom window, staring out at the street. "Maybe. I don't know. Kind of. But I wanted to talk to you about it, because you're his best friend, and now I can't even have a normal conversation and….dammit!"

She punched the window, causing the glass to shatter and fall to the ground. Trish yelped in pain and sank to the ground, clutching her bleeding knuckles to her chest.

"Shit!" Austin yelled, jumping out of the chair, notebook and pen in his hands as he moved to Trish's side.

"That was so stupid," the girl muttered, clenching her teeth and rocking on her heels.

Austin gave a hesitant chuckle. _I'll say. Listen, I'm going to see Dez now. Why don't you stop by his house after you get cleaned up? I'm sure he'd love company._

Trish sucked in a deep breath and nodded slowly, her curls bobbing as she glanced towards the door. Austin could hear her parents sprinting up the stairs.

"Okay. I will. For you, Austin. And…I'll miss you," she whispered, lifting her eyes to look in his general direction. "A lot."

Austin gave a sad smile, drew a quick heart on the notebook, and then flipped it shut and dropped it to the ground as Trish's mother burst into the room.

He stood up and moved silently to the window, watching the family carefully. Trish didn't even look at her parents, instead staring at the notebook with tears in her eyes.

The boy clambered out the window and jumped to the ground below, expecting it to hurt when he landed but not very surprised when it didn't.

He lifted his eyes to stare back at the house, wondering if Trish would be all right.

"She'll be okay," came a soft voice.

Austin jumped about a foot and whipped around to glare at Olivia. "Yeesh, Olivia, way to sneak up on me and give me a heart attack. Not that I can even have one of those."

Olivia gave a small smile. "Sorry, Austin. I just wanted to check up on you and see that you were doing okay. You still visiting people?"

Austin nodded. "Yeah. Hey, Olivia? Could you check on Ally for me? I'm really worried about her, but I…I can't see her right now."

His voice caught in his throat and he looked away. Olivia smiled gently and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Of course I can, Austin. Good luck with Dez."

She vanished, leaving Austin to walk by himself to Dez's house. And he had way too much time to think.

* * *

**Thanks again, guys! I'll try to be a little faster with updating, but no promises**

**Still, please review! It would mean a lot. **


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